


No Competition

by riots



Category: B.A.P, Secret (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat Cafe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 03:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2452931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riots/pseuds/riots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yongguk never really thought of himself as a cat person, and then, well, he met Hyosung.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Competition

**Author's Note:**

> sort of sequel to [](http://chiharu.livejournal.com/profile)[**chiharu**](http://chiharu.livejournal.com/)'s [Fight for Felines](http://pisudori-play.livejournal.com/35525.html)!

There's a very small, very friendly orange ball of fur rubbing up against Yongguk's shins. “You're new,” he says. When he looks up at the guy behind the counter, he doesn't recognize him. He blinks. “You're new, too.”

“Hi,” the guy says. He's young, his eyes are a bit sleepy but his smile is sweet. “I'm Jongup. Welcome to our cafe!” He gestures widely with his hands, disrupting Hime, who is sleeping at the end of the counter. The ragdoll loudly makes her displeasure known, tail lashing as she quickly escapes. Yongguk has to bite back a smile at the slightly forlorn look on Jongup's face. “I am new,” he agrees.

Yongguk gives him a sympathetic nod. “You're getting there,” he tells him. He glances over the kid's shoulder into the backroom, but he sees no sign of any supervision. “Hey, is Hyosung in?”

The little ginger kitten is persistent. It butts its head against Yongguk's shin and mews up at him. Yongguk relents, bending to pick it up. It lets out a little noise but doesn't struggle, kneading Yongguk's shoulder contentedly. “His name is Cheeto,” Jongup informs him, and he looks so pleased that he has to have had a hand in naming the cat. “Isn't he nice?”

He is. He's also a climber. Cheeto pulls right out of Yongguk's hands and scales his arm, settling on his shoulder. “I think he's confused himself with a parrot,” Yongguk says.

“There you are!” Hyosung trills, swooping in from the side. “I see you've met our latest adoptees.” Jongup beams at her, she smiles right back, and something in Yongguk's stomach just melts. She has her short brown hair pulled into loose pigtails and she leans in close to press a quick, messy kiss to his jaw. He can feel the trace her lipgloss leaves behind, but he's not sure he cares.

“I think this guy likes me,” Yongguk tells her. He gently strokes Cheeto's head and is rewarded by the pinch of tiny claws as he tries to keep his perch. Youch.

Hyosung shifts the heavy bag of cat food in her arms and laughs. “We all do,” she says. Jongup darts out from behind the counter to take the bag from her, disappearing into the back room. “Listen,” Hyosung says, and Yongguk braces himself for it. “Daehyun and Youngjae did a good job while I was gone, but I still have so much stuff to catch up on.” She curls her fingers around his elbow. “Can you wait around for another hour or so?”

He has to admit, he's a little disappointed. Tonight was supposed to be their first date night since Hyosung had returned from visiting her ill mother. Still, a date is a date, even if it's a bit late. “As long as you don't charge me for it,” he says.

“That's just bad business,” Hyosung protests, but she rewards him with another sticky sweet kiss.

If Hyosung is working, parked behind the counter with Daehyun, going over the accounts from while she was gone, Yongguk figures he might as well get some things of his own done too. He settles down on a big chair by the window, pulling out his iPad to get some emails replied to. Cheeto is a little warm scarf, draped across the back of his neck and purring loudly into his ear. Before Hyosung, Yongguk had kind of considered himself to be a bit of a dog guy. When your girlfriend runs a cat cafe, well, you learn to adapt.

After a little while, the cafe starts to empty out, and Yongguk raises his head to find Daehyun wandering over, holding out juice. “Boss lady said to bring you this, to keep you from dying of thirst during your long wait.”

Having spent weeks looking after the cafe on his own, Daehyun seems a little put out by being reduced to a waiter. “Thanks,” Yongguk says warmly. From behind the counter, Hyosung waves at him. “How'd you like your taste of authority?” he asks.

Daehyun delicately shifts a sleeping Jello from his place on the chair next to Yongguk to the floor. “I _crave_ it,” he tells Yongguk, eyes widening dramatically, lowering his voice to a rasp. When Yongguk laughs, it rouses Cheeto. “It wasn't bad,” Daehyun continues normally, but there's something very practiced about his casual tone, and Yongguk eyes him. Daehyun's eyes travel to the new kid and get all soft, and Yongguk can't help but grin. “Had some perks.”

Yongguk nods solemnly. “Perks like, oh, say, a sweet kid who keeps smiling at you like you turned on the sun?” Daehyun turns red right to the tips of his ears. It's a little bit adorable.

He gets even redder when Jongup comes and perches on the arm of Daehyun's chair. “Hmm?” He lets his arm fall around Daehyun's shoulders, ostensibly for balance, and Daehyun does his very best not to look pleased. He fails.

“Nothing,” he mumbles, and Jongup lets it slide. He yawns, widely, and Yongguk is reminded of a puppy. “You know, you could go nap,” Daehyun tells Jongup, and Yongguk hides his smile as Jongup reaches for Daehyun's hand. “If you're tired.”

“I'm okay,” Jongup assures him, dopey smile fixed to his face. Ah, young love.

He glances up when he feels someone gently dislodging a sleepy Cheeto from his shoulders. “Alright, babies,” Hyosung says, cradling the cat in her hands before she passes him off to Jongup. “We're heading out now. Be good.” Cheeto scales Jongup's chest and fits himself to the space between his neck and his shoulder, and Jongup looks positively delighted as he strokes under his chin with a finger. “Remember to fill up the water dishes and close up before you start making out.” Daehyun squawks and buries his face in his hands, but Yongguk gives Jongup points for his good-natured laughter.

“Ready?” Hyosung asks Yongguk as he tucks his iPad into his bag. She looks tired, worn lines under her eyes. The dangers of running her own business, he supposes. He helps her into her jacket, one arm at a time, and when she turns around again she claps one hand on each side of his face and leans in to kiss him. “My gentleman,” she teases.

“My lady,” Yongguk replies, bending into a quick bow over her hand and pressing his lips to her knuckles. And who says that romance is dead?

 

-

 

What Yongguk hadn't missed while Hyosung was gone was being used as free labour because he's the only one who works out and has any upper body strength. “Dance?” Yongguk asks, hoisting the last bag of cat litter. “Nice. You like it?”

“Love it,” Jongup tells him, and he's beaming. He kicks his heels against the box he's perched on.

“He's good, too,” Daehyun says proudly. Yongguk throws down the bag, kicking it carefully out of the way, and he raises his eyebrows at Daehyun. Outright embarrassing someone isn't really Yongguk's style, but Daehyun really does make these things easy. Daehyun clears his throat and looks away. “He _is_ ,” he repeats defensively, and Jongup ducks his head, smile wide.

“You'll have to show me sometime,” Yongguk says, and he pats the kid on the shoulder before he heads back out into the cafe.

He's got good timing, apparently. There's a guy leaning over the counter, all perfectly coiffed blond hair and a charming smile as he talks with Hyosung. Yongguk does his best to swallow it down, but the sight of this guy flirting with Hyosung still sets off a slow burn in his stomach.

But Yongguk, Yongguk is not the jealous type. No way. He slides up behind Hyosung, oh so casually, wrapping one arm around her waist. He supposes that the move isn't lost on her when she bites her lip, pointedly not looking at him as she tries not to smile. “Hey, you,” she says.

Yongguk keeps his eyes fixed on the man at the counter. He's not staring him down, that would be childish. But he's not smiling, either, in a way that he possibly knows that people find a bit intimidating. He really does not like the way that this guy looking at Hyosung. Hyosung, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind. She snorts and slides the guy's drink across the counter towards him. “Yongguk-ah,” she says sweetly. “This is Kim Himchan. He's Jonguppie's friend.” Himchan's hand lingers when it brushes up against hers to take the drink, and Yongguk bristles.

“Nice to meet you,” Yongguk replies, in a tone that says it's anything but. It takes a nudge from Hyosung at his side before he reluctantly sticks out his hand and they shake.

“Down, boy,” Hyosung says, sharply enough that Yongguk flushes, embarrassed. She's still smiling, though, fond amusement in her eyes when she glances up at him. “Be nice,” she says.

Across the counter, Himchan is definitely laughing at him, and Yongguk feels like a chastised dog, his shoulders hunched and ears hot with embarrassment. He's lucky though, because Hyosung softens it with a gentle hand on his cheek and a fast kiss, sweet and just possessive enough. When Yongguk pulls away, he catches the flash of disappointment in Himchan's eyes, and he can't help but feel a bit smug. “So,” Yongguk says. “Jongup's friend, huh?”

“Now you're nice,” Hyosung laughs. She pats Himchan's hand and Yongguk only lets his mouth twist a little bit. “He's much nicer than he looks,” she promises. She tips her head back to look up at Yongguk even as she speaks to Himchan, and she smiles.

“Yeah,” Daehyun agrees, coming out from the back room. “You just have to know to stay away from his territory.” Yongguk narrows his eyes at Daehyun, who grins and dances out of his reach. Punk.

Himchan raises his eyebrows and lifts his drink to his mouth. “I'm sure we'll get along just fine,” he says unconvincingly. Yongguk is far more concerned with Daehyun behind his shoulder, mouthing silent barks at him. “Hey, Daehyun,” he says. He likes the way he freezes, eyeing Yongguk suspiciously. “I think Jongup wants you. In the back, I mean.”

Daehyun turns redder than Yongguk has ever seen him, and Himchan throws his head back and laughs, and Yongguk thinks that maybe this guy's okay. “I'm right here, hyung,” Jongup says from the doorway, and then even Hyosung is pressing a hand to her mouth to cover her giggles.

“I hate this job,” Daehyun says mournfully, but then Jongup is at his side, blinking up at him and smiling.

“Poor Daehyunnie,” Hyosung sighs. Her hand is stroking up and down Yongguk's back, slow lines from the base of his spine up to his neck. “It must be such trouble for you, working for me. Maybe you need a change of pace?”

Hime leaps up onto the counter and butts at Himchan's hand until he indulges her. “That sounds like a threat,” Himchan says gleefully, and Daehyun makes a strangled noise.

The bell at the door rings and a couple of young women walk through the door. “Shoo,” Hyosung says, waving at them genially. “Go look after them. Maybe you'll still have a job later.”

Daehyun lets out a groan that sounds suspiciously like 'Noonaaaaa' but he lets Jongup nudge him over towards the door anyway.

Yongguk blinks down as Hyosung closes her hand around his elbow and tugs. “Excuse us, Himchan,” she trills, and then she's pulling him into the back room.

He ends up backed up against a shelving unit, Hyosung between his legs. “Jealous boy,” she chides gently, resting her hands against his chest.

He flushes. “I didn't – I just – ”

Her fingers close in his shirt and she tugs him closer. “You,” she says, and then she kisses him. He's missed this. He'd missed her so much, when she was gone. “You have nothing at all to worry about. I promise.”

He likes when she looks up at him through her eyelashes, eyes bright and smile sweet and just for him. “I know,” he sighs. “It's just – ”

“Bang Yongguk.” She leans back again, both hands planted flat against his belly. “Did you see the way he flipped his hair? Please.”

It startles a laugh out of him, bright and ugly. “Alright, alright,” he says. “I trust you. I always trust you.”

“Good boy,” she says, pleased, and before he can make a noise of protest, she's tugging him down again to kiss him again. He curls his fingers into her soft hair and holds her close, until they're both breathless and laughing like teenagers.

They're interrupted not, as Yongguk would have expected, by a vengeful Daehyun, but by a very noisy Baby, winding her way between their feet as she demands attention. Hyosung immediately bends to scoop her up, cooing softly. As they make their way back to the front, and the cat treats Hyosung keeps handy, Baby stares over her shoulder, and Yongguk could swear that she looks smug.

Hyosung pauses at the doorway. “Well?” she asks, the corners of her mouth creeping up teasingly. “Aren't you coming?”

Of course he is. Isn't he always? He runs to catch up. There's cat hair all over his new jeans and he just got cockblocked by a needy cat, but when Hyosung smiles at him like that, Yongguk knows that he will _always_ take that bad with the good. He reaches over Hyosung's shoulder to gingerly stroke Baby's head, and he can feel her purr. It's not all bad, anyway.


End file.
